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Defending Freedom by Strengthening Our Military

Congressman Bob Barr, July 9, 2001

As we celebrated our nation’s 225th birthday this Fourth of July, I found myself reflecting on the noble acts of patriotism by our Founding Fathers, the freedoms we enjoy today as a result, and the responsibilities we have in ensuring these freedoms are protected for future generations. As Americans we have been blessed with liberties that citizens in other countries can only dream of; the world today is a relatively peaceful place, thanks to our strong defense and the bravery of many Americans who sacrificed their lives for our benefit.

However, we cannot become complacent and we must always be wary of rogue nations that threaten the peace. Bowing to those who claimed the end of the cold war meant it was time to scale back our national security posture, the Clinton Administration over the last eight years reduced our military readiness and made unwise cuts in defense spending. As a result, our military strength has declined rapidly, with lost army divisions and air wings, severe shortages of arms and equipment, and rapidly declining troop morale.

I have been particularly mindful of all of these things in reviewing the defense budget submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration last week. While there were some disappointments, including the decision to reduce the B-1B bomber program, overall I was pleased with the demonstrated commitment by the Bush Administration to strengthening America’s national defense. The administration has proposed a $328.9 billion Pentagon budget for the fiscal year starting October 1. This represents a $32.6 billion increase over this year's budget, and is $18.4 billion more than was originally proposed just a few months ago.

For Georgia’s 7th Congressional District, this proposed budget held some particularly good news. It included work orders for 6 new C-130Js and 13 new F-22s, all of which will be constructed at the Lockheed-Martin plant in Marietta. These two important programs represent the best of American ingenuity and dedication to future defense needs, and the President’s initial commitment to them is an important step towards re-building America’s military.

The next step is ensuring this proposed defense budget receives the support it both needs and deserves on Capitol Hill. We owe it to America’s troops to do more than just return the military to its previous unacceptable level of readiness. We have a moral obligation to give our soldiers, pilots, and sailors full support necessary to safely and effectively carry out their missions. Just as they are doing their duty to protect our freedoms, we must do our duty to support them.